Article
Athlete, how does god see you?
Advice for the athlete struggling with insecurity.
Emma Kalbfleisch
never miss a play
Get weekly articles on sport culture, relationships, and identity.
We all have insecurities whether that is in our sport or in our daily life. It can be easy to act like we are confident in everything as athletes, but it helps to make our insecurities known for others that might be struggling with the same things.
Our answer to every one of our insecurities is found in God. In 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV) says, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
God doesn’t want us to focus on what the world thinks of us because that will never satisfy what we are longing for. Praise from our accomplishments in our sport will fade, but the way God sees us for our heart will last forever.
Watch Anna's talk on insecurity
Anna speaks on how her insecurities hindered her from being herself and in a constant battle of how she looked from the perspective of others. She says that “Investing in others, and the more you think about others, the less you have time to think about yourself.”
Making this a priority in her life and letting God change her heart from the inside really changed and shaped her perspective on herself and her insecurities that she struggled with on and off the court.
There are so many athletes that play the comparison game, which always starts with inward insecurities saying things to yourself like: “They are stronger than me.” “I am not as fast as them.” … “They have more experience than me.” All of these comparisons are never the answer.
“Investing in others, and the more you think about others, the less you have time to think about yourself.”
When these thoughts creep into our minds as we are in practice, in a game, in class or just running errands, we have to seek God and know His answer to those questions which is that he is looking at my heart. He isn’t judging us by comparing our performance in a game to other or by listening to the opinions of others about us, but is is only looking at our hearts.
We are made in His image, so we should not be comparing His image to others around us but rather expressing gratitude that others have different strengths than we do, and be grateful for how God has made you and me different.
Now all of this is always way easier said than done. So some practical takeaways from battling your own insecurities start with prayer. First, prayer is a spiritual discipline that might be hard for some people, but it is so important to all of the things we face in the world. Even praying a small prayer before stepping onto the court or the field to play a game can make a difference. Ask God to provide you with peace during the game to enable you to play for only Him instead of for self or the things of the world. Second, scripture has all of the answers that we need, and being intentional with what you want to know and learn about will help you receive what God wants to work in and through you with any insecurities you face.
We encourage you to continue to seek Him and His voice rather than the voice of the world. Anna is a great representation of how insecurities can take over a successful athlete. No one is out of reach from those thoughts, and it happens to all kinds of athletes.
It is a part of daily life, but how and where you search for answers will either bring you to security in God or lead you to try and find it in something that will never satisfy. We are all worthy in the eyes of the Lord, and that plays the biggest part of overcoming our insecurities.
READ THE LATEST
Where sport culture, relationships, character, identity, and faith collide.
